1. Field of the Invention (Technical Field)
The present invention relates to apparatuses and methods for handling and disposal of oil, including cooking oils and motor oils.
2. Background Art
From heating to lubricating to cooking. Americans use millions of gallons of oil every day. In nearly every use, oil containment is an important consideration because spilt oil can present a hazard. Therefore, new, practical and versatile apparatuses and methods of containment are needed.
A variety of food preparation processes rely on oil as a heat transfer medium. In such processes the volume of cooking oil used varies on a scale ranging from a spoonful to gallons. In general, cooking oil is placed in a cooking appliance, such as, but not limited to, a pan, deep fryer and the like. Of course, the volume of oil used in a food preparation process depends on the amount of food to be prepared and whether the appliance is designed for residential or commercial use. In such uses, the ease of oil containment during and after cooking along with oil cleanup and disposal after use are important factors in determining the overall safety and economics of a food preparation process.
In residential environments, used cooking oil is often collected, stored and disposed of in a container, such as, a coffee can or mayonnaise jar. This common practice requires careful handling of the oil while removing it from the cooking appliance, transferring it to the container, transporting the container, and storing the container until it eventually becomes full and ready for disposal. Each step heightens the potential for a mess, accident and/or hazardous spill. Additionally, the practice of disposing of oil in makeshift containers and placing such containers in household waste acts to shift hazard from the home to the waste carrier. Although chemically different than used motor oil, which is in many states classified as a household hazardous waste, used cooking oil presents many of the same problems. For example, motor oil and cooking oil present the same hazardous conditions in the case of road and/or walkway spills. Methods and apparatuses that contain better motor and/or cooking oil will act to minimize spills.
Regarding disposal of oil, many dumpsites and/or landfills classify free liquids, such as oil, as unacceptable material. Free liquids are prone to migration and once migration begins such liquids can create a hazard by extracting and transporting other previously xe2x80x9cfixedxe2x80x9d materials. Ultimately, ground and ground water contamination result. As applied to cooking oil, the magnitude of the hazard is realized when one considers that the retail market share of cooking oil purchased for private use exceeds seventy five million (75,000,000) gallons annually in the United States.
Several U.S. Patents disclose articles that use peat for the purpose of absorbing fuel oils, motor oils, hydrocarbons and the like from contaminated ground and water. U.S. Pat. No. 4,519,918, entitled xe2x80x9cPROCESS FOR THE ABSORPTION OF ORGANIC LIQUIDS BY USE OF A HYDROPHOBIC FIBROUS MATERIAL,xe2x80x9d to Ericsson et al., issued May 28, 1985 discloses treatment of fibrous peat by impregnation with 5% by weight of an acrylate prepolymer followed by heating and subsequent granulation or shredding. This patent then discloses use of this material to remove a surface layer of oil floating on water. U.S. Pat. No. 3,464,920, entitled xe2x80x9cMETHOD OF REMOVING OIL FROM THE SURFACE OF WATER USING OLEOPHILIC HYDROPHOBIC COMMINUTED ORGANIC MATERIAL,xe2x80x9d to Pirson et al., issued Sep. 2, 1969 discloses use of peat treated with organosilanes to absorb mineral, animal and plant oil products contaminating water surfaces. U.S. Pat. No. 5,151,194, entitled xe2x80x9cFILTER FOR REMOVING LIQUID HYDROCARBONS FROM WATER AND PROCESS OF REMOVING GASEOUS AND/OR HYDROCARBONS FROM WATER,xe2x80x9d to Simpson et al., issued Sep. 29, 1992 discloses a filter for removing hydrocarbon from water wherein the filter medium is fibrous peat dried to a moisture content of less than 5% by weight. U.S. Pat. No. 3,791,990, entitled xe2x80x9cOIL ABSORBENT,xe2x80x9d to Fischer, issued Feb. 12, 1974 discloses use of peat having a moisture content of less than 10% by weight for removing oil film from water. U.S. Pat. No. 3,591,524, entitled xe2x80x9cOIL ABSORBENT,xe2x80x9d to Eriksen, issued Jul. 6, 1971 discloses a process for preparing an oil absorbent for absorbing oil in the presence of water that is floatable on water with an emulsion emulsified by ammonia or an amine salt. These patents are directed to chemically and physically treating peat for subsequent separation and absorption of oil from water.
Articles exist for the purpose of collecting and disposing of grease and oil by-products from food oils and such articles are disclosed in the following U.S. Patents: U.S. Pat. No. 5,744,406, entitled xe2x80x9cMETHOD FOR EASY REMOVAL OF FATS, OILS AND GREASE FROM MIXTURES WITH WATER AND AQUEOUS,xe2x80x9d to Novak, issued Apr. 29, 1998; U.S. Pat. No. 5,814,396, entitled xe2x80x9cGREASE ABSORBING PAD,xe2x80x9d to Weidner, issued Sep. 29, 1998; U.S. Pat. No. 4,923,725, entitled xe2x80x9cARTICLE FOR ABSORBING COOKING GREASE,xe2x80x9d to Zafiroglu, issued May 8, 1990; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,950,524, entitled xe2x80x9cBACON PAD,xe2x80x9d to Hacker, issued Aug. 21, 1990. None of these patents disclose use of peat for absorbing oil.
The articles disclosed in the aforementioned patents all have shortcomings and thus a need continues to exist for a more effective article and/or method that can easily, automatically, effectively, and quickly absorb, immobilize and contain quantities of oil. The need is particularly acute for cooking oils because, in part, they are more likely to enter the environment due to a lesser degree of regulation compared to motor oils. The aim of the present invention is to fill this need for all oils and particularly cooking oils.
The present invention comprises an oil absorbent apparatus comprising an outer layer housing an oil absorbent core comprising, for example, decomposed organic matter and/or inorganic matter. According to the apparatus of the present invention, decomposed organic matter includes, but is not limited to, compost and humus. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the oil absorbent core comprises peat, preferably sphagnum peat. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the oil absorbent core comprises an inorganic material, for example, but not limited to, perlite and/or vermiculite. According to the apparatus of the present invention, a core optionally comprises a substantially solid, porous mass of matter; loose particles of matter, optionally in discrete clusters; and/or a plurality of discrete substantially solid, porous masses of matter, for example, but not limited to, pellets. Decomposed organic matter and inorganic matter are commercially available in a variety of forms, such as, but not limited to, the aforementioned masses, clusters and particles.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the apparatus comprises at least one inner layer. In a preferred embodiment, at least one inner layer is positioned between a core and an outer layer. In another preferred embodiment, the core comprises a plurality of discrete substantially solid, porous masses and/or a plurality of discrete clusters of loose particles of matter wherein at least one inner layer is positioned between discrete masses and/or discrete clusters. In a preferred embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention, at least one of the at least one inner layer comprises a filter for filtering matter. In a preferred embodiment, the outer layer comprises a filter for filtering matter. Such matter includes, for example, debris, decomposed and/or inorganic matter and the like.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the apparatus comprises at least one handle. The at least one handle comprises, preferably, a natural material capable of withstanding temperatures associated with oil used for cooking. In a preferred embodiment of the inventive apparatus, the outer layer comprises a member selected from the group consisting of muslin, cotton, plastic, metal, glass and composite material. In a preferred embodiment, the apparatus comprises at least one inlet for uptake of oil. In a preferred embodiment, the apparatus comprises a mechanism for opening and closing (or sealing) the at least one inlet for uptake of oil. In a preferred embodiment, the inlet comprises a filter for filtering matter, preferably integral with an outer and/or at least one inner layer. In a preferred embodiment, the mechanism comprises a rotating and/or translating mechanism. Such mechanisms are known in the art of condiment, air freshener and/or household cleaner containers.
The present invention comprises a method of absorbing oil comprising the step of contacting with oil, an apparatus comprising an oil permeable outer layer housing an oil absorbent core comprising, for example, decomposed organic matter and/or inorganic matter. In a preferred embodiment, the apparatus comprises at least one inner layer. In a preferred embodiment, the oil absorbent core comprises peat and/or perlite. In a preferred embodiment of the method of the present invention the oil has a temperature greater than 150xc2x0 F. In a preferred embodiment of the method of the present invention the oil has a temperature greater than 250xc2x0 F. In a preferred embodiment of the method of the present invention the oil is in contact with a food.
In a preferred embodiment, the apparatus of the present invention retains and/or immobilizes oil when exposed to, for example, pressure and/or gravity. In a preferred embodiment, the apparatus of the present invention retains and/or immobilizes absorbed oil to greater than approximately 90%, and preferably greater than approximately 95%, when exposed to, for example, pressure and/or gravity, as disclosed infra.
A primary object of the present invention is to absorb oil, particularly cooking oil, both during and/or after cooking.
A primary advantage of the present invention is safe and efficient absorption of oil and ease of disposal.
Other objects, advantages and novel features, and further scope of applicability of the present invention will be set forth in part in the detailed description to follow, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.